Private Secretaries to Secretary of State 1795-1870

Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 8, Foreign Office Officials 1782-1870. Originally published by University of London, London, 1979.

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'Private Secretaries to Secretary of State 1795-1870 ', in Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 8, Foreign Office Officials 1782-1870, (London, 1979) pp. 43-44. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/office-holders/vol8/pp43-44 [accessed 19 April 2024]

Private Secretaries to Secretary of State 1795-1870

The office of Private Secretary to the Secretary of State first acquired official standing in 1795 when a salary of £300 was made available to its holder. (fn. 1) Before 1824 only Planta held the office while serving as a Clerk on the establishment. Thereafter Clerks frequently held the office. (fn. 2)

At various times an Assistant Private Secretary held office, usually without salary. In the years 1808-9 and 1826-7 a salary of £150, payable out of the contingent fund, was made available to the Assistant Private Secretary. (fn. 3)

Grenville 1791-1801 1795 5 Jan. Goddard, C.
1796 24 Feb. Taylor, B.
1801 1 Feb. Williams Wynn, H. W.
Hawkesbury 1801-4 1801 20 Feb. Lamb, T. D.
1802 5 July Pierrepont, Hon. H. M.
Harrowby 1804-5 1804 c. May Hamilton, W. R.
1804 5 July Woodcock, C.
Mulgrave 1805-6 1805 Jan. Smith, G.
Fox 1806 1806 7 Feb. Trotter, J. B.
Howick 1806-7 1806 24 Sept. Trotter, J. B.
1806 12 Dec. Talbot, R.
Canning 1807-9 1807 5 April Ross, J. T.
1808 10 Oct. Turner, W. (Assistant)
Bathurst 1809 1809 11 Oct. Vaughan, C. R.
Wellesley 1809-12 1810 5 Jan. Forbes, J.
Castlereagh/Londonderry 1812-22 1812 10 Oct. Ward, E. M.
1814 5 July Planta, J.
1817 5 July Clanwilliam, Earl of
1819 5 July Ancram, Earl of
1820 5 Jan. Clanwilliam, Earl of
1822 29 Jan. Seymour, G. H.
Canning 1822-7 1822 10 Oct. Cavendish Bentinck, Lord W. G. F.
1824 5 April Stapleton, A. G.
1826 1 Nov. Liddell, Hon. T. (Assistant)
Dudley 1827-8 1827 30 April Wrangham, D. C.
1827 30 April Liddell, Hon. T. (Assistant)
Aberdeen 1828-30 1828 30 May Wrangham, D. C.
Palmerston 1830-4 1830 25 Nov. Walpole, Hon. J.
1833 3 May Sulivan, S. H.
Wellington 1834-5 1834 17 Nov. Greville, A. F.
Palmerston 1835-41 1835 11 May Cowper, Hon. C. S.
1840 5 Jan. Howard, Hon. J. K.
Aberdeen 1841-6 1841 3 Sept. Dawkins, C. G. A.
1841 3 Sept. Hamilton Gordon, Hon. A. (Assistant)
Palmerston 1846-51 1846 9 July Ponsonby, Hon. S. C. B.
Granville 1851-2 1851 26 Dec. Ponsonby, Hon. S. C. B.
Malmesbury 1852 1852 27 Feb. Harris, G.
Russell 1852-3 1852 29 Dec. Russell, A. J. E.
1852 29 Dec. Boileau, J. E. (Assistant)
Clarendon 1853-8 1853 22 Feb. Ponsonby, Hon. S. C. B.
1853 22 Feb. Lister, T. V. (Assistant)
1855 12 Feb. Fullerton, W. G. (Assistant)
1857 7 Dec. Lister, T. V.
Malmesbury 1858-9 1858 26 Feb. Bidwell, J.
1858 26 Feb. Wolff, H. D. (Assistant)
Russell 1859-65 1859 18 June Elliot, Hon. G. F. S.
1859 19 June Russell, G. (Assistant)
Clarendon 1865-6 1865 3 Nov. Lister, T. V.
Stanley 1866-8 1866 6 July Sanderson, T. H.
Clarendon 1868-70 1868 10 Dec. Lister, T. V.
Granville 1870 1870 6 July Meade, Hon. R. H.

Footnotes

  • 1. Order in council 27 Feb. 1795 (16th Rept. on Finance, 309-11).
  • 2. Brook Taylor (1796-1801) and Williams Wynn (1801) were Clerks when appointed to the office of Private Secretary. Both ceased to draw salary as Clerks on their appointment, but were allowed to retain their rank in the clerical establishment should they wish subsequently to return to their duties (FO 366/670 p. 371; FO 366/671 p. 155). Neither, in fact, resumed his clerkship. Thereafter, of the Clerks appointed to the office only Sulivan (1833-4) was not permitted to draw his salary as a Clerk (FO 366/673 p. 218; FO 366/382).
  • 3. FO 366/671 p. 356; FO 366/673 p. 30.
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